Turkeys Have a New Home

The turkeys finally got moved to their new home yesterday.  We still have to trim out the door, do the overhang, add steps to get in and out for the humans and put the wire around the bottom of the coop.  Then when it gets warm enough I will get it stained.  We plan on doing the trim, overhang and steps today and possibly the wire around the bottom.  It will take them a while to get used to living without the chickens and hopefully will be able to add a couple room mates to their home in a couple of months.  I plan on keeping at least 2 hens and 1 tom to breed so I don't have to buy turkey eggs next year.  Ted didn't go into the coop until it really started getting dark, Thelma felt right at home and even laid an egg, not in her nest box but beside it.  I went out to check on them about 7 last night and she was laying on the floor beside the nest box and I thought something was wrong with her so I went in and she got up and I saw the egg.  I'm hoping she will lay some more but in the nest box and then get broody and sit on them and hatch some the natural way.
Renee and Brandon was over to pick some stuff up yesterday and we candled some of the turkey eggs, we have never done this before but you can tell that for sure that not all of the eggs were fertile.  I sure hope I at least get a 50% hatch rate, would love more than that but got to be realistic.  :(

Finally Got To Get Out of the House

It was warm enough today to go out and work in the garage with the door open,  First I took apart an old wood ironing board that I got a couple weeks ago at a town auction for $2.50.  It is in pretty rough shape but I know I can do something with it.  I had to use the hand grinder to get the rivets off and the only problem I have with it is it is hard for me to push the lever to turn it on.  They are made child proof and I guess old lady proof.  I took out all the screws and nail and then proceeded to glue it back together.  One side had came off and the rest of the boards needed glued.  This board is no where as in nice as condition as the ones I have.  It has character and has small worm holes through out the board.  I will take it off of the braces tomorrow to see how it turned out.  The next step is to do some sanding and then I need to let it "talk" to me to see what it wants to be.  I also sanded some light fixtures preparing them for some spray painting and then turning them into Ball Jar Lights.  Ball contacted me this week and offered to send me some of their new Ball Blue Jars they are putting out this year, of course I said I would be more than glad to evaluate them and write about them on the blog.  I plan on using them when I make the lights.  I also started to take apart a very old small rocking chair that I picked up for free at a village auction that  no one wanted.  It was in pretty bad shape but I knew I could use some of the wood to make some special things.  I have another nicer rocker that I picked up but not sure yet what I am going to do with it, it doesn't have a seat or back but the wood is nice and old.
I also had some copper bowels and candlestick holders, estate sale finds, that I turned into some eclectic flowers for the yard. They are not done yet but have a good start.  I will have to take some pictures of the things I've got done so far.
When Ron got home we worked on the turkey coop which is coming along real nice.  It looks like the turkeys will get to move in on Sunday.  Of course the staining won't be done until it warms but I don't think they will really care as much as I will.

Turkey Coop

Ron and I have been trying to work on the turkey coop off and on for several weeks now.  The weather has not been cooperative so it makes it hard to get much done.  He has had the enclosed run except for the door on it made for several weeks and it looks very good.  We hopefully have come to a point where the turkeys should be able to move in by next weekend.  We have all the trim work to do, put the window in the door, put up the roost and make the door for the run.  The staining will have to wait until it gets to be 70 degrees and right now I don't know when that will be.
One of the new roosters has taken over as leader and the tom turkey and it fight a lot.  The turkey sits on the roost a lot and doesn't go out in the run like he did before.  So it is a mater of getting the 2 separated before something happens to the turkey.
So far the only materials purchased for this project has been the siding, plywood for the roof, 2x4's for the roof and the roll of roofing material.  All the rest of the wood has been recycled from shipping pallets.  We found a place that has the long double pallets and they have been perfect.  The roll of heavy duty chicken wire was given to us.  When we get it completed, stained and all I will post more pictures.

Turkey coop as of Sunday 3/24.

Turkey coop, view from in front of the chicken coop.  You can see my rain barrel with the down spout on top of it.  It the hooks up to the white and blue barrel as over flow barrels. 

Enclosed run, notice this run is 6' high and we will be able to stand up in it to clean it out.

Incubators and Eggs

On Sunday March 17th I put 26 turkey eggs in the incubator.  22 of the eggs I purchased from someone who sells fertile turkey, chicken, quail, pheasant and peacock eggs and sells some of the same poultry.
The other 4 eggs were  from my turkey.  Then on Saturday the 23rd I filled the same incubator with 15 chicken eggs.  They all will hatch about the same time and the chickens will be the teachers to help teach the turkeys to eat and drink.  Chickens will do that automatically but turkeys will starve to death even if there was food and water sitting next to them.  I will keep them together for only a few days until I'm sure they know what to do and then separate them.  In incubator # 2 I have 39 chicken eggs which will hatch a couple days before the turkeys and the other chickens do.
Turkeys take 28 days and chickens 21 days.  I sure hope I have a good hatch rate.  You just never know it's a gamble and I hate gambling.
All of the chickens will be meat chickens but with the turkeys I will keep 1 tom and 2 or 3 hens so next year I won't have to purchase any turkey eggs and the rest will be meat turkeys.  I have 5 of Thelma's eggs in a cold place and will be putting them in the 3rd incubator on Tuesday.  I sure hope she lays an egg Monday and Tuesday so I will have more chances for turkeys.  You can only keep eggs that will go in an incubator for so many days before they loose their viability.  I hate to run the incubator with just a few eggs but then again I hate the chance of not getting more turkeys.
I will keep you posted on how things turn out.

Incubator # 1, 26 turkey and 15 chicken eggs.

Incubator #2 with 39 chicken eggs.

Incubator # 3 that I will put turkey eggs in on Tuesday.

The line up with printed calenders above each incubator that is in operation so far.  Directions are above the middle incubator.  

Writers Block

I've had writers block.  I don't want to just write just anything and bore you.
I've have been extremely busy with Etsy and Ebay, we are not going to any  estate sales or auctions until the stock I have goes way down so I won't have to spend so much time doing those things.
I've also not felt the best physically or mentally.  I fell about 2 weeks ago when coming out of the chicken coop and hit my tail bone on the door way.  I am still in horrible pain with it.  Sitting is getting very hard to do.  The pain wakes me at night.  I am not going to the doctor about it.  With all the doctor visits and tests I've had lately I for sure can't afford it and am not kidding.  My husband's insurance is not the best and I was spoiled with the insurance I had at the hospital.  I can see now why people don't go to the doctor when they are sick.  I am going to have to be close to death before I go anymore this year.  I have 1 more test to go through next month and that it is.  Well that is all the boring I will put you through today.

Update Again

Doing some better.  Can't drive until I get off one of the meds they put me on when I had the panic attack.  The doctor at my request started weaning me on Monday.  The stupid med made me want to sleep all the time and was causing balancing problems and spacial problems. It was like I was drunk all the time and I never drink.
Then on Monday night after we delivered some eggs to the people who gave us the chickens last week Ron and I made 1 last trip out to to see if there were anymore eggs before the girls went to bed/roost.  When I go out back I always wear these clogs that have non slip grippers on them plus who wants to walk in all the chicken poop in good shoes.  We went right from the car to the coop, went in collected 2 more eggs and put them in my jacket pocket then visited with the chickens.  The more you are around them they get used to you and most will let you pet them and they will eat out of your hand.
I then proceeded to step out of the coop and slipped and fell bottom first and hit the door step of the coop and then slid out and hit my back.  I laid there crying, and trying to figure out how in the heck was I going to get up.  My right leg was turned to the side and I thought for sure it was broke.  I had Ron straighten it out, sat there in the mud (it has been raining for several days) and cried more.  I tried for several minutes to get up and finally got on my knees and hands and got up that way.  I am still in a lot of pain, have a hard time sitting, hard time walking and horrible time getting up after sitting down.  I just thank God I didn't break something.
My back hurts, my bottom hurts, my hands and arms hurt and my right leg hurts.
You know the 2 eggs in my pocket didn't break and that was one of the first things I said to Ron after the fall, I was so proud that at least I saved them.

Readers Digest Version

I've been on the blog very little in the last 2 months.  I've been not feeling well and have spent a lot of time going from Dr to Dr.
I had a negative brain MRI
Lung Biopsy that was benign time but unfortunately it was a small type of mas that will grow back and unfortunately will have to have a CT a few times a year and then a biopsy.  Oh well it is what it is.
Have a Mammo on Monday.
Have a GI Dr on March 22.
Waiting for a Neuropsychological Eval Appointment.
I am a scientific person and need to have medical tests as proof if something is wrong.  Depression is not something I've ever seen scientific proof that it exists so I have a hard time taking meds for something that can not be scientifically proven.  Just weird old Paula!!

First of January I was taking 5 different kinds of meds, right now I am on 5 different kinds of meds and 2 of the 5 I take 3 times a day.  So much for trying to get off some meds.

I have to start feeling better soon because gardening season is coming , I need to get some chickens hatched and also some turkey eggs found and hatched so I have some to butcher this year.

Will write more as I feel better.